10 Common IELTS Writing Mistakes That Keep You at Band 6
When we mark practice Task 2 essays, Band 6 rarely means “bad English.” The grammar is often clear enough. The ideas usually make sense. What holds the band down is a short list of habits that show up again and again: half a question left thin, a position the examiner has to guess, paragraphs that stop after one sentence, or the same Furthermore… Moreover… stack pasted onto undeveloped points.
I have watched students write twenty essays and still repeat the same Task Response leak — not because they are careless, but because nobody named the pattern. Once you can see which mistake is yours, you do not need to fix all ten at once. Fix the ones that are actually costing you marks, and the jump toward 7 often feels less mysterious.
Below are the ten we see most. Each one has a concrete observation or example — not just a Wrong / Right label.
Last updated: July 24, 2026
Table of Contents
- Partial task response
- No clear position
- Under-developed body paragraphs
- Writing under 250 words
- Overused linking words
- Memorised template phrases
- Off-topic or overly personal examples
- Forcing “advanced” vocabulary
- Only simple sentences
- No feedback loop
- A marking case from last month
- Questions students ask
Related: Band 6 to 7 | Band descriptors | How to get Band 7
1. Partial task response
This is the one I notice first when a script feels “almost 7” and still lands at 6. Discussion prompts ask you to cover both views and give your opinion. What we often get is a strong paragraph for the side the student likes, then three polite sentences for the other camp. Two-part questions get the same treatment: the first half is careful; the second half is bolted on in the conclusion.
Underline every demand in the question before you plan. If the prompt has two camps, both need real development — not a courtesy clause. Your opinion can sit in the intro, at the end of Body 2, or in the conclusion, but it cannot replace explaining the view you disagree with. For how discussion essays should balance, see the discussion essay guide.
2. No clear position
On opinion and “outweigh” questions, sitting on the fence reads as unfinished Task Response. I often see openings like There are many advantages and disadvantages and then two body paragraphs that never lean. The examiner finishes the intro still unsure what you think.
After you paraphrase the issue, say where you stand — even if it is mostly agree with one limit. On balance, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because… is clearer than a tour of both sides with no judgment. Problem–solution is different: there you usually need a map, not a fake I agree. Match the position to the question type; do not paste I agree onto every paper. Openings by type: introduction paragraph examples.
3. Under-developed body paragraphs
A Band 6 body often states an idea and moves on: Remote work improves productivity. Furthermore, it saves time. That is a list, not an argument. When we mark, we look for a path — why the idea is true, then a concrete consequence or example, then a tie back to the question.
Aim for roughly four to six sentences per body: lead sentence, explain, example or result, short link. You do not need a rigid chant in every paragraph, but you do need enough detail that the idea cannot fit any education or technology essay in the book. Compare with Band 7+ samples when you want to see what “extended” looks like on the page.
4. Writing under 250 words
Scripts under 250 words take a Task Response hit, and in practice they also look under-developed. I notice a lot of 220–240 word essays that stop just when the second body should earn its mark — usually because the writer spent too long on a vague intro.
Target about 280–320 words from real development, not padding. Cut empty background (In this day and age education is important…) and put those words into reasons and examples. If you finish at 240, the fix is almost never “add two more Furthermore” — it is one more explained reason.
5. Overused linking words
Furthermore… Moreover… In addition… stacked three times in one essay is a classic Band 6 cohesion smell. The connectors are not wrong; they become mechanical when the ideas underneath are thin. Examiners notice the stack before they notice your argument.
Mix in reference (this approach, these costs, such policies), a clean however when you really contrast, and therefore when a result actually follows. One clear idea per paragraph helps more than a longer linker list. Practical patterns: Task 2 linking words.
6. Memorised template phrases
Openers like It is undeniable that…, In this day and age…, or Every coin has two sides show up in thousands of scripts. From marking experience, they rarely earn Lexical Resource — they make the essay feel generic before the first real idea arrives.
Paraphrase this question in your own words, then take a position or map. If the first line could fit almost any technology topic, rewrite it. Template phrases taught as “good English” are safe to use only as bad examples in your own practice notes.
7. Off-topic or overly personal examples
Long stories about your cousin’s commute or your classmate’s laptop can eat fifty words without helping Task Response. IELTS examples should support the argument in calm, general English — In many large cities…, When fees rise, fewer low-income students apply… — not a diary entry.
Keep the example short and tied to the claim. If you remove the story and the paragraph still makes the same point, you probably did not need the story. Specific is good; private is usually a distraction.
8. Forcing “advanced” vocabulary
Lines like The multifarious ramifications are ostensibly pivotal look flashy and often land wrong. I see students swap every ordinary word for a longer one and lose collocation control — which hurts Lexical Resource more than a plain precise verb would.
Prefer exact fits: raise taxes, reduce congestion, limited access. If a rare word does not sit naturally when you say it out loud, cut it. Range matters at Band 7; forced rarity does not.
9. Only simple sentences
All short Subject–Verb–Object lines keep Grammatical Range stuck. The opposite mistake is also common: a forest of broken long sentences. What works is a few clean complex forms where the logic needs them — a relative clause, a conditional, a concession (While…).
Do not aim for “complex in every sentence.” Aim for frequent error-free sentences plus a little variety. One controlled conditional beats three that fall apart mid-way. Worked rewrites (merge, subordinate clause, precise verbs): improving sentences for Task 2.
10. No feedback loop
Writing twenty full essays with the same Task Response leak is one of the fastest ways to stay at 6. Off the page, students often tell us they already practise every weekend — but they only collect another overall band, never a split into TR / CC / LR / GRA.
Score each draft against the four criteria. Name the lowest one. In the next session, keep mixed short practice (logic, wording, flow, sentences) and give that weak spot a little extra time — then write the next full essay. That habit matches the Band 6 to 7 guide and the 20-day study plan better than another unmarked mock every evening.
A marking case from last month
Last month I marked a timed Task 2 from a student who had been stuck at overall 6 for two attempts. The prompt was a discussion question on whether children should start a foreign language in primary or secondary school. Her preferred view — secondary school — was clear and fairly well explained. The other view got one short paragraph that mostly repeated some people think primary is better without a real reason. Task Response came out around 5.5–6: the opinion was there, but both views were not equally developed.
We did not rewrite the whole essay cold. She underlined both camps in the question, rebuilt Body 1 for the view she disagreed with (pronunciation and flexible primary timetables), kept her secondary-school argument in Body 2, and stated her lean at the end of that paragraph. On the next timed draft, Task Response moved first — before vocabulary got any polish. That is the pattern I want you to copy: name the leak, fix that spot, then write again.
Questions students ask
Which mistake hurts most?
From the scripts I mark, Task Response is usually the heaviest drag — especially incomplete answers on discussion and two-part questions. Cohesion comes next when the essay is readable but hard to follow. Vocabulary and grammar matter, but they rarely rescue a half-answered task.
Can I fix all ten at once?
I would not try. I notice students improve faster when they pick the one or two patterns that actually show up in their last essays, then keep the other skills warm with mixed short practice. See the Band 6 to 7 practice section for a DIY session shape that does not freeze the calendar into “TR week only.”
Will a checker catch these?
A checker that returns TR / CC / LR / GRA can flag the same leaks we mark by hand — thin task coverage, stiff cohesion, forced wording. Treat the band as practice feedback, not a guarantee of exam day. After you know your top mistake, drill that spot (offline or on Personalized Practice — Practices 1–2 free), then re-check.
After you check your score
If Task Response is thin, or cohesion is stiff, fix that in the next mixed session — do not immediately write a brand-new full essay on a new topic.
- Free IELTS essay checker — no login for score-only
- Try Practices 1–2 free
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